The organizers of this week's fundraiser in Windsor-Essex to assist the victims of the Beirut explosion are thanking the community.
Nour Hachem-Fawaz is part of the group Windsor-Essex Helping Lebanon and says she's overwhelmed with the success of Wednesday's fundraiser.
"The committee and the Windsor-Essex community was able to raise close to $62,000 in less than a week for our initiative," she says.
According to Hachem-Fawaz, more than 20 businesses in the service industry, such as spas, barber shops, retail and restaurants, donated 100 per cent of their proceeds to the fundraiser.
"It wasn't just the amount of money raised and the fact that it's being matched by the Government of Canada, it's the unity and community that we saw come together," she says. "The amount of residents that waited two hours in restaurants to place a takeout order, to support and celebrate the culture in our very diverse city but then to also lead a helping hand.”
Money raised will go to the Canadian Red Cross and the Lebanese Red Cross to directly help victims impacted by the deadly August 4 explosion that left hundreds dead and thousands injured.